Becoming an Entrepreneur: The Journey of an EFL Teacher
Abstract
Teacher entrepreneurship is an increasingly popular field of research that has attracted considerable attention over the past 15 years (Keyhani & Kim, 2020b). While prior studies focused on the outcomes, qualifications, and institutional contexts of teacher entrepreneurship, there is limited research addressing the personal motivations and decision-making processes that lead to entrepreneurial actions (Ho & Lee, 2023; Keyhani & Kim, 2020a; Oplatka, 2014). Thus, this article aims to explore these underlying reasons in the decision-making process through a qualitative single case study of an 8-year experienced Turkish EFL teacher in Türkiye who is a novice entrepreneur in the teaching field. The qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured online interview and analyzed employing thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework. The results were analyzed through Krueger, Reilly, and Carsrud’s (2000) Model of the Entrepreneurial Event and Sarasvathy’s (2008) effectuation theory. Two main themes emerged: Decision-Making and Accidental Piloting. The results suggest that entrepreneurial attempts emerged gradually from identity-based motivations, professional dissatisfaction, and contextual limitations rather than deliberate business planning. Despite changes in perceived feasibility, perceived desirability remained high, while entrepreneurial behaviors reflected effective principles such as bird-in-hand and lemonade, but not as purposeful plans. The study reveals that deliberate entrepreneurial planning is not required for teacher entrepreneurship; instead, entrepreneurial engagement might develop through professional identity motivations and experiential learning. Even though limited to a single case, the study enriches the literature by providing a contextualized perspective of teacher entrepreneurship in the Turkish EFL context.
Keywords
Teacher Entrepreneurship, Novice Entrepreneur, EFL Teacher, Case Study
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